You are here

The Indiana Jones Monkey Head

Does this look like a real monkey head to you? Probably not! But part of the magic of Hollywood is that with careful camera work and lighting, props (real or fake things used by actors) can be made to look real when you see them in a scene on a movie or television screen.

This is a prop monkey head from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Paramount, 1984.) You may remember it from a scene where Indy and his friends eat at a fancy dinner banquet. A variety of unusual foods, including snakes and bugs, are served, but the dessert was the highlight of the meal—chilled monkey brains served in monkey heads. In the movie, Indy’s friend Willy (Kate Capshaw) was so upset by it that she fainted!

This is one of the heads used during the scene and looks real in the movie. But if you look at it up close, you can see that is it made of foam-filled molded plastic that has been hand painted and had artificial hair glued on. The top is removable and there is a small bowl-like area where the “brains” sat during the scene. You can even see some red stains from the food coloring used to make the fake brains!

The monkey head is a new addition to the museum’s American Collection, and you can see it on display for the first time this fall in our Hollywood Haunts exhibit. Other spooky props, costumes and scenery from our collection and on loan will be on display in Hollywood Haunts from October 5-November 24, 2013. Come check it out!

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Founded in 1925, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary family learning experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. With a 472,900 square-foot facility situated on 29 acres, it is the largest children’s museum in the world. Visitors can explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures, the arts, see how dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago in Dinosphere: Now You're in Their World®, experience Dale Chihuly's Fireworks of Glass, and examine children's impact in shaping history inThe Power of Children: Making a Difference.